From Sun Records to Monumental Hits
When Elvis left Sam Phillips’ Sun Records in 1956, Roy Orbison stepped in with his band, The Teen Kings.
Heavily influenced by Elvis, Roy initially had an energetic, rockabilly performance style—far removed from the image he would later become known for: standing completely still in dark sunglasses, delivering emotionally charged ballads.
As internal conflicts grew within The Teen Kings, Roy began shifting his focus towards songwriting, pitching his material to other artists. Sam Phillips wasn’t particularly impressed with Roy’s voice—he apparently preferred his guitar playing.
By the early ’60s, Roy had left Sun and signed with Monument Records, where he truly found his sound.
In 1961, he released his debut album, which included two standout tracks: I Can’t Stop Loving You, a cover, and Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel), which Roy released a s a single prior to the album and co-wrote with Joe Melson.
Only The Lonely was a massive hit, reaching #2 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K., making Roy Orbison a household name seemingly overnight.
Sensing an opportunity, Sam Phillips quickly released Roy’s early rockabilly recordings, which were still under contract with Sun. There was nothing Roy could do to stop it.
His next album, Crying (1962), featured the powerful title track written by Roy, which again charted well. Don McLean would later cover it, charting even higher than Roy in the U.K. The album also featured covers of The Great Pretender and Love Hurts.
In 1963, In Dreams followed, with the haunting title track and Blue Bayou, a song that would later become Linda Ronstadt’s signature tune in 1977.
Then, in 1964, Roy released his most iconic single, Oh, Pretty Woman. The original mono version topped charts around the world, and a year later Orbisongs (1965) included a stereo version with slightly altered lyrics.
A Tune That Always Works
Oh, Pretty Woman is synonymous with Roy Orbison. Released in 1964, it became a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in ten countries and selling over two million copies.
The tune was revived in 1990 when it featured in the Richard Gere and Julia Roberts film Pretty Woman. Before that, Van Halen had covered it and released their version as a single in 1982, complete with an outrageous music video.
The last time I heard it out of context was during Tyson Fury’s crossover fight with Francis Ngannou. Tyson walked out to Oh, Pretty Woman—a strange choice, perhaps, but when a tune is this great, it just works.
If your band plays ’60s tunes, you simply must fit this classic into your set. Trust me, it will go down a storm.
From Class of ’55 to End of the Line
By 1967, Roy released Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson, an album entirely made up of Don Gibson covers.
Although he would go on to release many more albums, the hits began to fade. One notable moment came in 1969, with a cover of Unchained Melody featured on Roy Orbison’s Many Moods.
In 1970, Roy released The Roy Orbison Way, an album entirely made up of Hank Williams covers. Standout tunes included Hey Good Lookin’, Jambalaya (On the Bayou), Your Cheatin’ Heart, Cold, Cold Heart, and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.
That same year, he released The Big O, which also leaned heavily on covers, including Help Me Rhonda by The Beach Boys, Money (That’s What I Want) by Barrett Strong, and Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett.
By 1972, Roy was still in cover mode. On his album Memphis, we find I Fought The Law and Danny Boy. The following year, he released versions of Words by the Bee Gees, You Don’t Know Me by Ray Charles, and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond.
I Fought The Law Was a Cover
Originally written and released by The Crickets in 1960, I Fought The Law became a hit in 1965 when covered by The Bobby Fuller Four.
Roy Orbison’s 1972 version didn’t chart as highly, but it added nicely to his already enormous catalogue.
The most famous version is probably The Clash’s 1979 cover. That’s the version most people think of when the song is mentioned, and if you’re ever asked to play it live, this is likely to be the version expected.
For a working guitarist, this is worth remembering: knowing a song isn’t always enough. If a particular version is the one your audience knows, that’s usually the arrangement you need to learn.
For the next decade, Roy continued to release albums, though without any major hits. Still, one can only imagine how powerful his live shows must have been—filled with his own iconic songs alongside these legendary covers.
In 1986, Roy joined his first supergroup, Class of ’55, alongside Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. It was a tribute to Elvis and the Sun Records era, with John Fogerty contributing a tune as well.
Then, in 1989, Roy returned to the charts with two massive hits.
You Got It, from his album Mystery Girl, was co-written with Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. The second was End Of The Line, recorded with his second supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys, featuring George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne.
Tragically, both songs were released after Roy’s death in December 1988, when he suffered a heart attack at just 52 years old.
Roy Orbison’s career had taken him from the rockabilly world of Sun Records, through some of the biggest ballads of the ’60s, into a later career built around covers, collaborations and supergroups.
For guitarists, there’s another lesson in his catalogue.
Roy’s songs sit alongside a huge collection of material written by other artists, showing just how important interpretation can be. Oh, Pretty Woman, Crying, In Dreams, I Fought The Law and End Of The Line all tell very different stories, but together they make up the kind of repertoire that keeps a musician connected to audiences across generations.
And when a tune like Oh, Pretty Woman still works when it comes blasting out of a stadium before a heavyweight fight, you know it has earned its place in the repertoire.
Roy Orbison Tunes | Related Pages
End Of The Line | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play End Of The Line by the Traveling Wilburys using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D D/A | D | D A | G |
Well, it’s alright, ridin’ around in the breeze…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: End Of The Line (Traveling Wilburys) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
I Fought The Law | Chords + TAB
You can learn I Fought The Law by The Clash using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| D5 | G5 D5 | D5 | A5 D5 |
Breakin’ rocks in the hot sun, I fought the law and the law won…
Money (That’s What I Want) | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play Money (That’s What I Want) by Barrett Strong using chords, lyrics, a backing track, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons
| F N.C | N.C Bb C |
The best things in life are free…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Money (That’s What I Want) – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Oh, Pretty Woman | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Oh, Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| A | F#m |
Pretty woman, walkin’ down the street…
Roy Orbison on the web
